Chapter 60: Gentleman or not?
Anastasia didn’t turn back to look at the others as she stepped out of the river, her feet moving as quickly as possible, and she came to stand before Prince Dante. Holding her hands in front of her, she stared at the prince’s black shoes.
When they had begun to splash water on each other, Anastasia had forgotten her age, along with Princess Emily, who had forgotten about her status. A princess behaving in such a fashion was frowned upon. She wondered how much the princess would be reprimanded for not behaving properly in public.
"Please don’t scold Princess Emily," Anastasia’s voice was just loud enough for Dante to hear. "We were only—"
"Did I say that you could speak?" Dante’s words were harsh on Anastasia’s ears, and she softly gulped when she heard him say, "Worry about yourself before others."
The other four commoners quietly stepped out of the river and wiped the water off their faces and clothes. But they didn’t get closer to Dante Blackthorn, feeling the hostile and daunting atmosphere around him.
"Greetings to you, Prince Dante," Naila tried to break the silence from where she stood, but Dante didn’t react.
It wasn’t that he didn’t hear them, just that his eyes were focused on Anastasia.
Dante’s midnight eyes followed the water droplets that dripped from her hair onto her shoulders, and how some slid from her face, moving down her slender throat and travelling down her chest. When his eyes fell on her bosom, which was covered by her now semi-transparent dress, his eyes darkened. With them standing in broad daylight, unlike last time when it was night, his eyes could clearly see the fabric outlining the shape of her breasts and revealing the tips.
When a little breeze passed where they stood, Anastasia held her hands tighter to stop herself from shivering. This led to her arms squeezing against her bosom, which only pushed them further against the fabric of her dress.
Dante clenched his jaw when he noticed that the tips had hardened because of the water and the air, and now pressed forward as if wanting to break free from the fabric. He forcefully tore his gaze away from her and looked behind her.
"Greetings, Prince Dante," the others murmured from afar, bowing at him.